Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Oi Gente!
This easy and creamy pumpkin soup recipe is full of delicious flavors from seasonal spices, with a hot kick of cayenne pepper. All those bold flavors come together beautifully, and are softened up by a splash of coconut milk and olive oil at the end. Another thing to love about this silky soup is the extra layer of textures and flavors provided by the garnishes. Seriously, do not skip them! The best part? This classic soup recipe can be made in the instant pot in a little over 30 minutes, or on stove top, pretty much just as easily. Instructions for both methods below!
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Why I love this easy pumpkin soup recipe
Growing up, when the weather cooled down, my mom would make a delicious pumpkin soup with cinnamon, cloves and coconut milk that I absolutely loved. We would always eat it with loads of olive oil drizzled on top, and scoop it all up with buttered pieces of crusty bread. Sooo good times infinity!
When I moved to the US, I became completely obsessed with all the other fall spices that take over the season. I upgraded my mom’s soup with a few more spices, added ginger, sweet potatoes and of course, some cayenne pepper for a spicy kick. For garnishes I added 2 other brand new faves of mine, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds.
This spiced pumpkin soup with ginger and sweet potatoes is my version of my mom’s soup, and it has been on my Fall menu for the for the many years I’ve lived in California. It’s a total hit!
Bom Apetite!
What you’ll need to make this creamy pumpkin soup recipe
Pumpkin soup ingredients
- pumpkin – you can use any pumpkin you like, or even a combination of them. Kabocha, small sugar pumpkin (no bigger than about 3lbs), porcelain doll, and butternut squash, are the best pumpkins for soup!
- sweet potato
- onion
- garlic or Brazilian sofrito
- fresh ginger
- star anise
- cinnamon sticks
- whole cloves
- nutmeg
- cayenne pepper
- chicken stock – for a vegan pumpkin soup you can replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Pumpkin soup toppings
- Coconut milk
- Toasted pumpkin seeds
- Dried cranberries
- Olive oil
Equipment
- Instant pot or a 6-8qt stock pot
- Immersion blender
How to make Pumpkin Soup
You can make this soup on stove top or in an instant pot pretty much the same way, the main difference is that the soup will be done way faster when cooked in the instant pot. Here are the easy steps:
Saute the aromatics – saute the onions, then the garlic, then add in the ginger.
Add the ground spices – after you saute the aromatics, add in the ground spices, then add in the sweet potatoes.
Add the liquid – add the pumpkin, stir to combine and add the cooking liquid of your choice.
Now the big secret!
The BIG SECRET of how to make creamy pumpkin soup is not in adding cream to it, it’s the veggies to liquid ratio. The veggies to liquid ratio is key, so that when you blend, you get a perfectly creamy and silky soup. Adding cream or coconut milk to it, is just cherry on top!
Top with the whole spices – after you add the liquid add the whole spices to the liquid, keeping them at the very top, so they’re easy to remove before we blend. Alternatively, you can just make a little pouch with a cheese cloth to make it easier to scoop out.
Cook the soup – after the spices are all in, either close the instant pot and set it to 25 mins on manual, or bring it to a boil in a regular stock pot on stove top, cover and let it simmer covered until the pumpkins and sweet potatoes are soft.
Blend until smooth – When the potatoes are soft, remove the whole spices and discard, then blend everything with an immersion blender, until it’s smooth.
Chef alert! The worst burn scars I have collected on my arms come from making blended soup, like this one. This can happen because the soup is super hot, and blending with an immersion blender can cause splatters that can really burn your skin. Yikes! Be careful, meus amigos!
Enjoy your creamy pumpkin soup with a drizzle of coconut milk and olive oil. Then, sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries on top!
More recipes with pumpkin:
Other easy soup recipes you’ll love:
Canja de Galinha – Brazilian Chicken and Rice Soup
Red Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk
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Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups of pumpkin peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes about 3 cups
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil plus more for drizzling and garnish
- 1 whole onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, or a tbsp of Brazilian Sofrito
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and smashed
- 2 whole star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks or about a tsp ground
- 3 whole cloves or about 1/4 tsp ground
- a generous pinch of nutmeg about 1/8 of a tsp
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or more if you like it hot
- 5 cups of chicken stock, water, or vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Garnish:
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 1 cup of toasted pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup of dried cranberries
Instructions
- With your instant pot on sauté function, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Add the onion and cook it until the onion is transparent, approx 3 mins.
- Add the garlic and saute until golden, about 2 minutes.
- Add the ginger, the cayenne, and the nutmeg and stir.
- Turn off the instant pot, and add the sweet potatoes and stir.
- Then, add the pumpkins, and stir.
- Add the liquid and then the cinnamon, the cloves and the star anis (try to keep the whole spices on top so they are easier to scoop out before blending – alternatively, you can just make a little pouch with a cheese cloth with the spices inside, then just remove the little pouch all at once).
- Close the instant pot, and set to 25 minutes on manual.
- After 25 minutes, release the pressure manually, and carefully open the pot when you are able.
- Remove the spices and discard them.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve and garnish with coconut milk, olive oil, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries of top.
Made this soup for my family. Only change I made is that I roasted the onions and garlic as well in the oven (lazy). They really enjoyed the soup with sourdough bread and garlic bread. Thanks!!